Daily Archives: November 6, 2014

The Art of Montreal / Graffiti As Art Debate

Posted on by
1

By some stroke of luck, I had the opportunity to visit Montreal last weekend. Although I spent a full 24 hours on buses to get there and back, the ride was worth it so that I could experience a new town, new culture, and see two of my best friends that go to school there.

I naturally couldn’t help but notice how radically different everything in the city was from what I know of in New York. One thing in particular was the street art. Everywhere I went, there were murals painted on buildings and pieces of graffiti everywhere. It seemed welcome rather than rejected. Honestly, I loved that these pieces were really all over the place. It added some extra character to the city and was a point that vastly contrasted against the typical New York mindset: graffiti is bad; it isn’t art and needs to be covered up rather than appreciated.

A mural seen on Rue St-Laurent in Montreal.

A mural seen on Rue St-Laurent in Montreal.

This point couldn’t be more clearly seen than in the tearing down of 5Pointz, an abandoned building in Long Island City (you can see it by Court Square on the 7 train!) that was often referred to as “the graffiti Mecca”. Graffiti artists from all over the world would come and tag the building, adding on their own piece to the murals. Recently, though, the building was painted over and torn down by the city so that co-ops could be built in the space.

Personally, I was always against the tearing down of 5Pointz and that’s why I particularly appreciated the street art in Montreal. Do you guys think that graffiti and unofficial street art should be considered art like everything else? Also, do you think that the building should have been torn down?

 

A view of the partially torn down 5Pointz "graffiti Mecca" from the 7 train.

A view of the partially torn down 5Pointz “graffiti Mecca” from the 7 train.

Six Characters in Search of An Author

Posted on by
1

The biggest question that everyone has been asking after this play is “What is real versus what is fiction?” Honestly, I’m not quite sure how to answer that. If I were to guess the intentions of the author, I would say that the events that transpired were real in the context of the play. The boy did shoot himself. The girl did drown. No one was really ever the same since. The characters may have known their stories, but I believe that they became a reality once the stories were actually told.

However, I really think that we are asking ourselves the wrong question. Instead of wondering what is reality and what is fiction, I strongly believe that we should be asking ourselves to define the difference between the two. What makes something real versus made up?

The way that I see it is that characters on a stage are brought to life. They are living and breathing with complex thoughts and hopes and dreams and a story, just like anyone else in the world. The only real difference between them and us is that they can only be brought to life through an actor while we don’t need any of those crutches to live out our own stories.

The question that I would most like to pose is just because something is a work of fiction, why can’t it also be real?

The Orchestra

Posted on by
1

I’ve never necessarily been one for classical music as I’ve always felt that it didn’t speak to me in the same way as the styles of music that I tend to listen to. However, I did my best to enter tonight’s performance with an open mind. In doing so, I wound up paying a lot closer attention to detail than I would of if I just sat back and enjoyed the music.

The first thing I noticed was that we got really, really great seats. I know, in the traditional sense, they probably weren’t the best in the hall. To me, though, an orchestra is best viewed from as high up as possible. One of the best parts for me was watching how in sync all of the musicians were with each other. It was amazing to see how they each made the same movements at the same times to come together so seamlessly. Much like almost all of the other performances we’ve been to this semester, I was consistently astounded by the way that humans can work and fit together so easily, and incorporating instruments as they do so.

I was also exceptionally interested in the conductor. I know, theoretically, that a conductor’s job is to keep the tempo of the orchestra and to guide the musicians into the next piece of the song. I’ve never been able to wrap my mind around exactly that works. He spoke one language with his body movements while the musicians spoke an entirely different one with their instruments. Somehow it all came together.

Finally, I think after tonight’s performance I’ve come to understand and appreciate the beauty of classical music – especially as performed by such a large group of people. While I’ve always been used to concerts and performances that are more social in nature (a play where everyone laughs at the same scenes, or a concert where the entire crowd knows the lyrics), this performance was much more individualized. Everyone has a completely unique experience from those around him or her. However, the music is ultimately the largest presence in the room. When it all comes together, as human beings collaborate to produce something on such a large scale, music has the ability to overpower you.